


Everything Stays

by zaynedere



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bonding, Flashbacks, M/M, Spoilers for season 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 19:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14984273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaynedere/pseuds/zaynedere
Summary: Krolia learns about her sons past, and finds out that he remembered something she left him and his father with.





	Everything Stays

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this song : https://youtu.be/1Hlz9scNx_Q
> 
> Also based on a twitter post that I can no longer find. If this was your tweet, please let me know so I can credit you. It seems to have been deleted.

It's only been a handful of months since Krolia and her son had hitched a ride on the back of this giant space creature, and although she would have wished to get their mission finished sooner, she couldn't deny that the time spent with her son helped heal old wounds.

 

The first few weeks, Keith was still hesitant to be close to her, having gone most of his life without his mother's love and clearly still getting used to the idea that he had a mother. Krolia didn't push his boundaries; she's long prepared herself for her sons reaction, though the circumstances of their reunion were far from ideal. She could tell he was trying to push himself, especially after many of the flashbacks that appeared to both of them with that blinding flash of light.

 

It wasn’t until recently, though, that Keith finally started being physically affectionate towards her; combing her hair, leaning against her, letting himself fall asleep against her thigh. The first time he’d slept against her, she had cried. As war hardened as she was, her heart had ached for the child she never had the chance to raise. It seemed like the universe was finally letting her play catch-up with the one she loved most.

 

\---

 

It was another night that Keith had craved the closeness his mother provided, curled up with his head in her lap and their cosmic wolf curled up behind him, that she took the chance to comb her fingers through his hair. She used to do this with her father, soothing him with her clawed fingers and a soft hum. The words rested heavy in her throat, long memorized but unsure. A flash of light caught her eye, and she only minutely tensed as it swept over them.

 

In the next moment, Krolia found herself in her old home on earth, a childs screams echoing against the wooden walls. She followed the sound into the bedroom, seeing her late lover hushing a baby Keith. It looked much like the day she left; it couldn’t have been long after, then.

 

 _“I know, I know kiddo,”_ He spoke in a heavy accent that nearly brought Krolia to tears. _“I miss her too.”_ The next moment finally pushed her to her breaking point, a hand over her mouth as she tried to keep silent.

 

_“Let’s go into the garden_

 

_You’ll find something waiting_

 

_Right where you left it_

 

_Lying upside down”_

 

It was a lullaby, one that Krolia would sing to Keith to calm him as a baby. Her lovers voice was rough, clearly as heartbroken as his son, cracking in several places as he continued to soothe their child.

 

_“When you finally find it,_

 

_You’ll see how its faded._

 

_The underside is lighter_

 

_When- When you-"_

 

Her poor lover seemed to break there, a silent sob shaking his shoulders and thick tears falling down his face and off his chin. Keith, now calm, made a curious noise, reaching up at his father at what seems like an attempt to soothe him. A broken laugh escaped his father before he pressed a gentle kiss to Keith's forehead.

 

_“Thanks kiddo. I'm okay, papa just misses mama as much as you do.”_

 

It wasn’t a moment later that she was tossed back into the current time, one hand still pressed to her mouth as she cried. She never thought she'd be so emotional, but with her son sleeping peacefully on her legs, she must have finally let herself give in. She gave herself a moment, wiping at her eyes and taking a deep breath, reminding herself that she needed to stay strong and keep watch over Keith.

 

Another flash of light appeared, and she inhaled, not sure if she was ready for what it would throw at her now.

 

This time, she was in an unfamiliar room, the walls worn and scribbled on with crayon and the floor in similar, if not worse condition. There were several bunk beds in the room, and she realized with a start that this was an orphanage. This is the place her son had been hidden away in after his father passed. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a young Keith, no older than eight years, curled up in the corner of one of the bottom bunks, crying. She walked closer, every part of her being wanting to take him in her arms and protect him from the world.

 

She noticed that he was clutching the blade she left him in his tiny hands, holding it to his chest as if it would disappear if his grip loosened. He rubbed his face against his shoulder in a desperate attempt to stop his tears, closing his eyes for a moment and steadying his breath. Krolia waited with baited breath as he carefully unwrapped the blade, studying it as if it were the first time he’d seen it. It only took another moment for her heart to break all over again.

 

 _“Papa said Mama left this for me,”_ Keith murmured to himself, sniffling softly. _“I wish she was still here. I wish you were still here, Papa. The other kids are mean to me, and I get in trouble for trying to get them to leave me alone.”_ Her son looked out a cracked window, the sunlight gently casting onto his face. _“I haven't forgotten Mama’s song though. I promised I wouldn't forget.”_ He then proceeded to hum along to the song, visibly soothing himself with the melody.

 

She was startled back into the moment, Keith shifting on her legs; most likely uncomfortable with the vision the light had sent them. Tears still in her eyes, she hushed him gently, fingers combing through his hair once more as she gathered her voice enough to hum the melody. Just like before, Keith relaxed, breath evening out again. Her heart melted upon seeing that, feeling more like a mother in that moment than she ever had.

 

\---

 

Days later, she and Keith were busy skinning and cooking meat that her son had caught earlier in the day. The silence they shared wasn’t uncomfortable in the least, and their newfound pet wolf chipped in with the occasional bark or whine for an ear scratch. Of course, Krolia was happy to oblige, cooing softly to him and tossing a piece of meat for him to chase for a moment. The light came back, her eyes meeting Keith's for a moment before being thrown into the past again.

 

This time, she was in a dark room, though she could clearly tell it was from Keith's memory. He was sitting shirtless in a small bed, legs crossed with another’s head in his lap, humming the lullaby that frequented the visions that the light brought them.

 

 _“What’s that song you always hum?”_ The man in his lap asked, clearly sleepy but not enough to keep his mind from whirling. Keith gave a soft, breathless chuckle, combing his fingers through the others hair.

 

 _“It’s a song my parents sang to me when I was young,”_ Keith admits softly, a fond smile on his face. _“It’s never failed to calm me down. I promised my Dad that I’d never forget it, and I intend to keep that promise.”_

 

The man below him shifted a bit, seeming to nuzzle into Keith's stomach. _“Sing it for me?”_ Keith chuckled breathlessly again, the gentle smile on his face warming Krolia’s heart.

 

 _“Sure, but I can’t promise you that it’s gonna sound good.”_ Keith cleared his throat softly,  running his fingers through the others hair once more. Before he opened his mouth though, they were thrown again, Keiths quiet, watery voice reaching their ears.

 

This time, they were in a room not unlike the one Keith was raised in. An old, worn futon sat against the wall under a window, and the coffee table looked to be made of a piece of somewhat thick plywood and cinder blocks. The wall opposite the futon was covered in pictures and pins and red strings, obviously searching for an answer.

 

Keith sat on the futon, legs crossed like the previous vision, a man lying unconscious in his lap now. Krolia briefly wondered if that was the same man from earlier, but her thoughts whirled to a stop as soon as her son started singing.

 

_“ Let's go in the garden._

 

_You’ll find something waiting.”_

 

Keith’s voice was rough with sadness, thick with tears as he sang softly the man he so clearly adored.

 

_“ Right there where you left it,_

 

_Lying upside down._

 

_When you finally find it,_

 

_You’ll see how-_

 

_You’ll see-”_

 

Keith sobbed softly, bowing over the man and letting his tears fall onto the others face. _“You came back,”_ Keith whispered hoarsely. _“You came back to me.”_

 

When they came back to the present time, Keith was visibly upset, eyes downcast as he slowly resumed skinning the meat. Krolia took the chance, clearing her throat.

 

“Do you love him?” She asks softly, eyes trained on the meat she was preparing to cook. She could see Keith jerk a bit out of the corner of her eye.

 

“What?”

 

“Do you love the man that was in your memories?” She asked, looking up at Keith with open eyes.

 

He swallowed, glancing down before meeting her eyes again. “Y-Yeah, I do. I love him.”

 

Krolia nods, hesitating before patting the spot next to her. Wordlessly, Keith got up and sat by her side, looking downwards as if he had something to be ashamed of. She wraps her arm around him, pulling him into her side with a soft sigh.

 

“I’m glad you found someone to love,” She murmurs, resting her head on his. “I know it's hard being away from him, but that will make returning to him that much sweeter.” Keith gave a soft hum, relaxing in her hold.

 

“Hey mom?” He murmured, Krolia’s heart overflowing with love; this was the first time he’d called her that. “Were you ever planning on coming back home to us? To-To Dad and I?”

 

Krolia nuzzled against her sons head for a moment, putting her words together. “Of course. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of you or your father. Some days I wanted to abandon everything to come be with you, but I knew I couldn't. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if i put you or your father in danger,” She pressed a soft kiss to his temple. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I would have stayed with you and given you a life you deserved. I cannot express how guilty I feel for leaving you like that.”

 

Keith pressed himself closer against her, the meats now cooking over the fire. “It was hard without you,” He admits, voice soft. “Especially after Dad died. I was still really young, and being an orphan on Earth had basically destined me for failure. But even then I- I would have never met Shiro, or I probably would have never come out to space and gone on such an adventure. As much as I wish you were there- I wouldn't want to change the past. It's the past now; we can't do anything about it, except push forward.”

 

Krolia felt immense pride in her son for such honesty, pulling him ever closer. “This Shiro- Is he-"

 

“Yeah,” Keith says softly. “He’s the man I love. It's funny,” He starts, swallowing softly. “Your song is the only one that will calm him down, too.”

 

“It’s a mom thing,” Krolia replied, and a few moments later they shared a minute of laughter.

 

Later that night, Krolia laid down with Keith curling into her front, her son almost asleep with his face tucked against her chest. Combing her fingers through his hair once more, she sang softly to the one she loved most.

 

 **_Let's go in the garden_ ** ****_  
_ **_You'll find something waiting_ ** ****_  
_ **_Right there where you left it_ ** ****_  
_ **_Lying upside down_ ** ****_  
_ ****_  
_ **_When you finally find it_ ** ****_  
_ **_You'll see how it's faded_ ** ****_  
_ **_The underside is lighter_ ** ****_  
_ **_When you turn it around_ ** ****_  
_ ****_  
_ **_Everything stays_ ** ****_  
_ **_Right where you left it_ ** ****_  
_ **_Everything stays_ ** ****_  
_ **_But it still changes_ ** ****_  
_ **_Ever so slightly_ ** ****_  
_ **_Daily and nightly_ ** ****_  
_ **_In little ways_ ** **_  
_ ** ******_When everything stays_**

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on twitter @Zaynewrites


End file.
